


Spare Room

by Anonymous



Series: mcyt <3 [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Paradise Found, Slow Burn, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26763274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "I--" Skeppy cuts himself off, with a choked gasp. "I don't want to live here anymore."orZak takes Darryl's offer of a spare room.
Relationships: Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Series: mcyt <3 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998544
Comments: 229
Kudos: 925
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> gonna be honest, i don't know where this is going. all i know is... it's going.
> 
> (i'm going to remain anonymous only because i don't care to have this linked to my other stuff ig. anyway. yes. people can b mean to rpf writers, but i mean, its just fiction and they said theyre okay w it so... idk. to each their own u know)  
> EDIT: i now created a new ao3 for this. enjoy<3
> 
> contains varied usage of both youtube and irl names. if you can tell when and why i used either name, then you get an internet cookie, i guess. lol anyway skephalo is cool and i love both of them x
> 
> text message formatting is from the help of ProfessorMotz. guide is [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21799039) :)  
> google search formatting is from the help of gadaursan. guide is [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/A_Guide_to_Coding_and_Fanworks/works/8631214) :)  
> twitter post formatting is from the help of gadaursan. guide is [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/A_Guide_to_Coding_and_Fanworks/works/22517134) :)
> 
> EDIT 12/6/2020:  
> this story takes place late 2019, during/after the "breakdown stream" if you know what i mean. as it goes, i don't care about continuity, so i may reference 2020 events despite them not really occurring yet. meh. my story, my rules.

"I just hate it."

"I hate being _alone_. This place is just designed to suck your money for the glory of living in a city like this," he mumbles, glancing up at the webcam.

Zak - better known as Skeppy, his online alias - doesn't know how many people are watching. How many of his fans are watching him, spilling out everything to the stream. Verbally dumping everything in front of everyone, he feels more exposed than ever.

He's sure his voice cracked once or twice. He doesn't have to glance at the chat; he knows he's on the verge of tears.

"I just want everyone to know what's happening. That I haven't done anything today, that everything just seems..." Zak's breath hitches.

He's had problems before. He's had problems with deteroriating mental health before, regardless of who was around him. And now...

Zak's apartment in Los Angeles is dark and lonely. Tonight, it was just him. Yesterday, it was just him. Tomorrow? It will be _just him._

How could it be possible to live in an overpopulated world, with billions of people, in one of the most populated cities in this country, and feel so _terribly_ alone?

"I could break the lease, but that'd cost a lot of money," Zak laughs, although it's not his usual laugh. It's filled with some sort of contempt, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "I mean, it's not that I'm running out of money; I just don't want to be wasting that money."

The room is darker than dark. The only light is coming from the computer and the more Zak looks at it, looks at the webcam displaying his face to the world, the more that he feels as if he's straining to even see.

"I can't take breaks either. This city is too expensive for me to take a break. And even if I did, what would I do?"

Zak lets out a laugh, although it comes out more like a sob than anything else. He shakes it off.

"I just feel so stuck. I was fine where I was. Why did I move?" Zak bites his lip. "I just have to stick through. Just stick through these months, find a new place elsewhere, and finally feel less like nothing and more like a human fucking being."

Zak glances at the time. "... It's late. I should get going. Maybe eat, or something. I don't know."

"Bye, y'all. Goodnight. I'll stream tomorrow, maybe. Perhaps. See ya."

He turns off the stream before he realizes a certain someone was desperately pinging him on Teamspeak.

-

> _skeppy_

> _skeppy_

> _please answer_

> _can we talk_

> _i wanna talk_

> _cmon skeppy_

> _what is it bad_

> _skeppy!!_

> _can we talk? get on voice chat please!_

> _idk im feeling kind of tired_

> _okay i don't want to push you_

> _it's just talking though_

> _no minecraft_

> _unless you want to_

> _but i just wanna chat for a bit_

> _uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnghgngg_

> _? skeppy?_

> _okay sure_

-

A loud scuffle, and then a, "Skeppy??"

Zak snorts. "Hey, Bad."

"So, I was watching your stream..."

Zak grimaces, thankful that Bad can't see his face.

"I--" Zak cuts himself off, with a choked gasp. "I don't want to live here anymore."

Bad stays silent at that.

Zak shakes it off.

"I'm sorry, I just," Skeppy begins. "It sucks living here. It's almost like it sucks the life out of you, that kind of 'it sucks.'"

"Skeppy..."

Zak takes in a deep breath. "... Yeah, Bad?"

"You know how I've been telling you I have a spare room for you?"

"Mhm?"

"The offers are serious. I have a room. It's basically all yours. I've done everything but put a label that says, 'Skeppy's Room,' on it."

"But this apartment..."

"Who cares about the apartment?"

"What?"

Bad lets out a small sigh. "Skeppy, I want you to be happy. A lot of people want you to be happy. And obviously this-- that place isn't providing that for you. I want you to be in a good place. My offer is open. Will living elsewhere make you happy?"

Zak takes a second to think about it. His gripe was that he had lost a bit of his sense of purpose, living alone in an apartment. His room wasn't really his room; it was just a place he lived in. None of this felt like it was his, that it was real, nothing felt real, and it used to, but here, it felt...

"Probably." Zak frowns. "... Probably yes."

Bad lets it stew in silence for a bit. "Will living with me make you happy?"

Zak doesn't even have to think about it.

"Absolutely."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: posts chapter 1  
> me: omg im gonna see what reception i get and if i get good reception then ill really write the rest of it:0  
> me, later: wait i already have chapter 2 and its only been like an hour or two......... uh....... oops?
> 
> also im on invadedlands while writing fanfiction ahahaha POGGGGGGGGGGGG

"Really?"

Zak blinks. "Yes? I said yes."

"... Yes... you'll move in with me?"

Zak processes this for a moment. "Ah. Well. The apartment..."

Bad audibly shifts around, fumbling around with his headphones. "Well. You could always sublease it. And not worry too much about losing _all_ your money. And also provide some lucky muffin with a place to stay."

Zak winces. "Yeah. It's expensive here. God knows how people get the money to pay rent."

He can't see it, but Zak's pretty sure Bad shrugged. "Either way, that's a solution. So, that aside, would you really want to move in? Like _I'm_ totally serious and I need to check if _you're_ serious."

"I'm serious."

"Really?"

"Oh my god, I said I'm serious!"

"Oh my goodness, _okay_ , I just thought --" Bad starts to ramble in his own rapidly-building excitement. "Well, I mean I never thought that this would happen, only in my wildest dreams would you ever actually say yes, oh my goodness, this is happening...!" Bad's voice proceeds to elevate in pitch and Zak can't help but actually grin at his best friend's antics.

_Woah. My best friend. I'm moving in with my best friend._

Suddenly, Zak feels elevated himself. No wonder Bad's voice became so high-pitched. Zak feels like the personification of high-pitches.

"Wow. So. When can I move in? Tomorrow?"

Bad lets out a sharp laugh. "You muffinhead, tomorrow? As if you can pack your bags, order a plane ticket, and somehow manage to find your way here tomorrow. You can't do that in 24 hours. Plus, you should probably figure out logistics first, right?"

Zak lets out a small groan of defeat. "Fuck, you're right."

"Language!"

"Well," Zak continues, ignoring Bad's protests. "You're right. But I'll be there soon - just give me a time and place."

"Of course. Your room will be all tidied up by the time you get here. Plus, think of it as delayed gratification, which makes the end result that much sweeter."

Zak wrinkles his nose. "When did you get so poetic?"

"Since I started talking with Technoblade, the ex-English major."

Zak pretends to sputter. "You're _cheating_ on me with _Technoblade?!_ "

"Oh my gosh," Bad lets out a laugh. "Shut up, Skeppy. We've just been talking."

Zak lets out a small sigh, one filled with relief. Bad's always been there for him. And now he's really going to be physically there with him. Bad - or, well, Darryl, now, he supposes, since they're going to be living together, it'd be weird to call him BadBoyHalo - somehow came in and solved all of his problems. Well, most of his problems, but it still feels like such a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Zak doesn't know where he'd be without BadBoyHalo. A life without his best friend? He can't imagine that.

"Skeppy?"

Zak blinks, returning to reality. "Mm, yeah, Bad?"

"It's getting late, so... I'll talk to you later? We can talk about all the logistics tomorrow, sound good?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Bad."

"Goodnight, Skeppy."

-

> _thank you bad_

> _it was nothing_

> _it's not nothing_

> _you made my day_

> _my week actually_

> _scratch that, my month, maybe even year_

> _thank you for always being there for me_

> _that's what best friends do, skeppy_

> _and i'm glad to do it_

> _now goodnight, you little muffin_

> _sweet dreams, bad :)_

> _don't let the muffins bite_

> _what does that even mEAN_

> _ahahahahshdas dontn worry abotu it_

> _ok good night for real this time, skeppy_

> _see you soon :)_


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright, well, the place is yours, here's the key. I'll message you when rent is due and I'll also send requests for utilities and all that stuff."

"Thank you!" They took the key graciously. "I'm going to enjoy living here, I know it."

 _Well, that makes one of us_ , Zak thought to himself while giving the new sublessee a wide grin. "Don't go and burn the place down," he jokes.

Before Zak goes and regrets making such a joke with a practical stranger, they laugh. "You know, I'll try, but no promises," they respond back, a large grin on their face.

Zak lets out a small laugh. "I like you. You're cool."

"Thanks."

Zak takes a quick look at the watch. "I'm going to head out, I'm moving into my own place. Enjoy the apartment!" He rushes out the door.

"Thank you!" The person calls out, but Zak doesn't register it, because, _oh my god, don't tell me I'm going to be late for my flight._

-

He is not late for his flight.

-

Zak chose a window seat, looking out through the window.

Well, he is, but he's not really looking at the scenery that passes by him.

With a bag of his belongings and the rest of his stuff on its way to Florida in a moving truck, he can simply relax for the next few hours as he lets it all sink in.

For the past week, it's mostly been work: packing his stuff into boxes, hiring a moving truck, getting flight tickets, trying to record some short videos, looking for a sublease... everything just kept him occupied.

And now everything's wrapped up and Bad -- _Darryl_ , he reminds himself -- is going to be waiting for him at the airport when he gets off the plane. He's going to be shown to his new place, his new room, and he's going to-- 

Skeppy is finally meeting up with BadBoyHalo in person.

... Zak is going to be meeting his _best friend_ for the first time.

Wow.

It still feels unreal.

-

When the plane finally lands, Zak has to take a breath.

People begin to rush off the plane, so Zak takes a moment to simply relax. Everyone seems to be in a rush to get off the plane, but he's sure that Bad can wait a few moments longer.

Speaking of... 

-

> _hey just landed ill see u in a bit_

-

Once the plane is mostly emptied, Zak picks up his bag and quickly departs the plane, not wanting to linger too long and annoy the flight attendants. 

As he rushes through to baggage claim, Zak feels his phone buzz in his pocket.

-

> _:D yaay <3_

-

Zak breathes out a sigh of relief as his maroon suitcase finally catches his eye. Baggage claim, he thinks, is the worst part of going on flights. He grabs the suitcase, pulling it off the rack as he finally makes his way to the exit.

As he's surrounded by a swarm of people either rushing to flights or rushing out of the airport, he's suddenly swept with a feeling of being overwhelmed. He glances around, every face unfamiliar.

He knows what BadBoyHalo looks like. He does, of course, after all those edits that he made of "BaldBoyHalo" -- but Zak also figures that pictures of people and the actual real-life people can look different sometimes. Not that different, but Zak can't help but think about it anyway.

_Darryl's here, he's here, Bad's here, I just have to find him..._

Zak squints as he tries to find his way through the crowd.

As he finally finds his way to an area that is magically less populated, he stops to take in a small breath.

"Skeppy!"

Zak whips around.

_... Oh._


	4. Chapter 4

Oh. 

Alright.

That's BadBoyHalo. _That's Bad,_ Zak thinks to himself. _Darryl. That's my best friend._

Wow, he's--

 _Pretty,_ his mind supplies, and Zak instantly sputters.

"Oh my goodness-- Skeppy!" Bad appears in front of him in a flash, patting his back and offering him a water bottle. "You alright?"

Zak graciously takes the bottle, opening it up and taking a large gulp from it. Letting out a small sigh, he responds. "Great. Really great!"

Bad furrows his eyebrows, which just draws Skeppy's eyes towards him and his eyes and--- "You started coughing out of nowhere. Are you sure you're alright?"

Zak laughs again, pointedly looking somewhere else. "I'm fine, just choked. You know. On my own spit."

Bad, to his relief, drops it. "You muffinhead, you really worried me, Skeppy! Anyway, come on, let's go; I can take this."

Bad reaches to grab the carry-on bag in Zak's hands, both of their hands brushing together in the process. Zak's heart skips a beat at that; he has to convince himself that it's just because he hasn't had physical contact with anyone else for a long time.

That's it. That has to be the explanation.

Zak can barely hear Bad telling him anything as he follows him to the car.

-

"Tada! This is your new home, Skeppy!"

Zak, suitcase in hand, looks around. The apartment isn't super big, but it's still rather spacious, too. _Definitely not like the apartments in Los Angeles_ , Zak thinks to himself.

"Woah." Zak whistles. "Nice place."

Bad laughs, and, _wow, okay, that sounds really nice and really different from calls._ "Mhm! And here's your room, Skeppy!"

Zak drags his suitcase to Bad, peering inside his new place. It's mostly furnished, Bad giving him some sheets out of courtesy. Zak leaves the suitcase in the corner of the room, resolving to unpack once he gets some alone time.

"So, it's about lunchtime and I bet you haven't eaten at all today, right?" Bad grins.

Zak frowns. "Why would I? Do you think I'd stoop so low to eat airplane food? If that stuff is even edible."

Bad laughs. "Right, right. Join me for lunch? We can cook together. Or I can cook and you can watch. I don't trust you around the kitchen alone."

"Rude. I can cook pancakes. And eggs."

"That's literally the bare minimum; if you couldn't do that, you'd be a real muffinhead, Skeppy." Bad wraps his arm around Skeppy's shoulder and pulls him to the kitchen. "Now, come on, Skep."

"Zak," he mutters quietly

"Hm?"

"Just call me Zak."

Bad blinks, looking down at him. "... Okay... Zak," he says slowly, as if he's analyzing the way that the name slips out of his mouth and feels on his tongue.

Zak feels a warm feeling erupt from his chest.

"Well, call me Darryl, then?"

In such close proximity, Zak doesn't know what to say, simply nodding his affirmation. Darryl chuckles.

"Also, you are shorter than me, I knew it."

"Shut up," Zak pushes him away, making his way blindly towards the kitchen. "I can't believe I agreed to move in with you."

Darryl just laughs, following him. "Come on, Skeppy...! You know you love me."

"Yeah, sure."

"Zak, you love me...!"

Zak bites his lip, not responding. Instead, he decides to stick out his tongue at Darryl.

_This is the most fun I've had ever since I moved to California. I'm here with BadBoyHalo. Darryl is actually here._

"Silence means you concede then?" Darryl jokes, ruffling at Zak's hair.

"Hah!" Zak laughs, leaving his thoughts in the dust. "You wish!"

-

Google

what to do when your best friend is prettier than expected


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner hits different when you're eating it with someone else.

Darryl's sitting next to him at the dining table, plates of homecooked food in front of each of them. Taking a bite, Zak has to wonder how much money he's spent on take-out, and how this one meal somehow overshadows all of that food in terms of quality and taste.

"Are you some sort of cook or something?" Zak blurts out without thinking.

Darryl gives him a sideways glance. "Really, Skeppy, manners! No talking with your mouth full, you muffin. And no, I'm not a cook - if I was, I'd have a cooking channel rather than a video game channel."

"It just... tastes really good," Zak mutters sheepishly after swallowing, not even bothering to protest. "Do you eat like this _every_ day?"

All he gets as a response is a laugh, and wow, okay, that's the laugh he knows very well; it's the laugh Skeppy gets when BadBoyHalo finds something funny. Something about it is different though, but Zak can't figure out for the life of him what is different.

This whole thing is different.

This isn't Skeppy - Minecraft YouTuber - making BadBoyHalo - another Minecraft YouTuber - laugh on a stream or a video or even when the moments aren't recorded. This isn't Skeppy teasing Bad and making him laugh; this isn't Skeppy cracking some joke and Bad laughing despite himself protesting at the same time; this isn't Skeppy making a fool of himself to get his audience to laugh but also Bad, most importantly _Bad_ , because the video isn't just for his audience to like and enjoy, but it was a moment with just the two of them, in that moment, and Skeppy wants to make Bad laugh because he _wants_ to, because he's his best friend, and even if it's shared with the rest of the world, it doesn't matter because, really, Skeppy had _always_ wished that BadboyHalo was next to him, but this is different, this is---

No. This is Zak Ahmed - nineteen-soon-to-be-twenty-year-old who just moved in with his best friend who he's never seen in real life before in Florida - making Darryl Noveschosch - said best friend - laugh.

Zak doesn't know why the distinction matters, but something deep inside him is telling him that it does.

"I guess that means the food is good?" Bad chuckles again. Zak can feel the happiness and contentment protruding from his friend beside him. "A weird way to compliment me, but thank you, 'Geppy." 

Zak puts another forkful of potatoes in his mouth while nodding profusely.

"Um, I don't really eat like this every day," Darryl admits. He pushes the vegetables on his plate around, looking down at it as if it'll tell him what to say next in the conversation. 

"No?" Zak inquires.

Darryl flushes slightly in embarrassment. "Well, I _could_ , but I don't normally cook fancy stuff like this, unless it's for a special occasion."

That makes Zak perk up. He swallows once. "This is a special occasion?"

In turn, that makes Darryl look at him with a small frown and -- _oh no!!_ \-- Zak's heart drops at the sight.

"Of _course_ it is," Darryl says slowly, almost sounding hurt at the suggestion that it wouldn't be. _"You're here,"_ he says simply, then takes another bite of food.

Zak blinks. "... Oh."

"Think of it as a housewarming gift or something," Darryl babbles. "It's-- you know. Like, a _welcome home!_ kind of thing. And, it's not like this is _super_ fancy. It's just potatoes and vegetables, with some soup. I mean I did put a lot of effort into it because well, I'm sure you'd appreciate it. But you know, it's... different. Cooking for someone versus cooking for yourself."

Zak takes this at face value immediately. "Right! Right, right, of course."

 _Welcome home_ , Zak's brain whispers to him. _Welcome home, Skeppy._

-

The words echo through his mind all night.

-

_Welcome home, Skeppy._

Bad leans in, and Skeppy's heart jumps.

-

"Hey! Skeppy!" Bad knocks at his door, making Zak shoot out of his bed in shock. "Zak...? Breakfast time! If you don't come out to eat, I'm eating your share too!"

Zak lets out a strangled, "Coming!" before letting out a small groan and putting his face in his hands.


	6. Chapter 6

Zak splashes his face with water. In the adjoined bathroom by his room, he makes sure he looks like he's not dead to the world.

Living alone meant that he often slacked on self-care; not that it was extreme, but Zak sometimes fell short a few times. Sometimes he'd just not brush his teeth, or he'd go a few days without washing his hair, or he'd forget about food for the whole day and end up eating McDonald's at 3 in the morning, which wasn't exactly his idea of a great diet.

But he has to keep up appearances, at least. He doesn't want Bad to think he's some sort of slob or something. Because he's _not!_

 _I am not stinky,_ he mutters to himself.

-

Breakfast is just as good as last night's dinner.

"So, how is it, Skeppy?"

Zak looks up from his plate, mouth full of fried eggs and hashbrowns.

"Never mind, I think that tells me enough," Darryl laughs. "It's pretty flattering."

He just lets his face flush as he continues to stare down at the plate of food as if avoiding eye contact will help at all.

-

"Ooh!"

Zak turns his head. "Huh?"

"Didn't you hear that, a knock? I'll get it, it's probably your stuff," Darryl says excitedly, wiping off his hands in a rush to the door. As Zak quietly puts his empty dish in the sink on top of Darryl's, he hears a mumbled, thank you, and then - "Skeppy, I mean, Zak! You need a signature."

Zak blinks, heading over to the door. He grabs the pen the delivery man is offering and signs his name. Almost immediately, the man takes the pen and papers from him, heading down the stairs to his truck at the street.

"C'mon, 'Geppy," Bad says, saying Zak's handle in that oh-so-unique way of his and giving him a playfully frustrated look. "Let's go get your stuff - don't just stand there."

"Okay, okay, okay," Skeppy says as he follows Bad out the door.

-

Skeppy sets down the last box and decides the best response to finishing it all is --

"Skeppy, do you--- hey, what are you doing, you muffinhead?"

From the ground, he mumbles. "I'm gonna lay here. Dead exhausted. Exhausted. Maybe dead." He grins into the carpet, straining to hear what his best friend is saying.

"Oh my goodness, you are so dramatic," he hears him say. "You really just going to flop on the floor and just lie there?"

"Yes."

"What-- why?!"

"Because," he says, muffled.

"That's not an answer, Skeppy!" Darryl lets out a strangled noise. "Why don't you just unpack? Or even if you rest, just do it on your bed at least?"

Zak just lets out a long groan that slowly turns into a scream.

"That... how am I supposed to translate that." Darryl lets out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, if you're going to lay on the floor, Zak, fine with me. I'll be in my room, or something."

He closes the door behind him, but Zak doubts that Darryl didn't hear the muffled, bubbly laughter coming from him.

 _He_ certainly heard the little giggle from the other side of the door.

-

"You all settled in yet?"

"I, uh," Zak pauses, looking around the room. Scattered, half-filled boxes with the rest of the content sprayed across the floor... and well, if he had to be honest -- "Sure!" 

"Uh huh," Vurb looks around. "Sure looks like it."

"Whatever, Vurb, this is good enough for me. At least my stuff is here? Last time I moved, my moving truck ended up lost."

"Yeah, I guess," Vurb wonders out loud. "I mean, you've always lived like a slob, so I'm not sure why I'm surprised."

Zak rolls his eyes.

As much as he loves Vurb, he's always been a little snarky boy to him in their conversations. He's always been weird and quirky, but then again, can he really blame him? It's not like the rest of their friend group - and he himself - was any different. And despite everything, Vurb is one of his good friends, one of his confidants, and really, that's just their relationship with each other.

"So, how's Bad?"

Skeppy raises a brow. "Ah, Darryl? He's cool. Uhm." His eyes dart around. "Really cool? I mean he was already cool, but in person, he's... really that cool? I don't know how to say it, man. He's just... really great."

"Darryl, huh?"

Zak frowns. "What?"

"I don't think I've ever heard you call him that casually."

"Well, he asked me to. Plus, um, we're on a first-name basis. It's... weird to use gamer tags with someone that you're living with, isn't it?" Zak scratches his head. "I don't know. It just felt right."

" _Felt_ right, huh?" Vurb raises his eyebrows.

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Vurb laughs, raising his hands up. "I'm saying nothing."

Zak gives him a look. "Anyway, as you can see, I've settled in quite well."

"Yeah, I guess you are, considering that y--"

_"Skeppyyyy!"_

Zak jerks up, looking to the door. "Yeah!?"

"Goodness, you're loud! Just wanted to say lunch's ready!"

"Alright, coming!" Zak turns back to the computer. "Hey, I gotta eat lunch. Did you know Bad's a great cook?"

"I--"

"Okay, I'll talk to you later, mkay? Bad's food is to die for."

Vurb looks like he's about to argue but Zak just turns off the call and rushes out of the room before he can even get a single word out.

-

"Hey, 'Geppy!" Darryl gives him a huge grin. "Nothing too crazy here, but I made some pasta and set aside some for you."

" _You_ ," Zak blurts out, while practically hopping into his seat at the kitchen table. "Are a blessing on this mortal world."

Darryl lets out a sharp laugh. "Oh my goodness."

"Do you say that a lot?" Zak shoves some pasta in his mouth. "This is so fucking good--"

" _Language_ , Zak, seriously?"

"Sorry, it's just that good -- are you really like this that often in real life?"

"Hm?"

"You know," Zak says, gesturing with his fork. "With the whole, oh my goodness thing, the muffins thing, the language thing -- I kinda figured that was something you played off online and not really a huge thing you did off-camera."

Darryl blinks at him. "Um-- I mean, I do play up the innocent role a lot, but I don't really swear. And, I guess I do say those things a lot." He gives Zak a nervous smile. "I'd say my BadBoyHalo persona is just an exaggerated version of my personality."

Zak nods. "Mm, yeah, fair. I guess you're right. It'd be hard to put up that kinda act for years if it was fake."

There's a small pause.

"There's something that's been bothering me, actually," Zak adds.

Darryl tilts his head in response.

"I, uh," Zak laughs nervously. "I haven't seen Rat in a while? And by that, I mean, I've been here a whole day and I haven't seen her at all."

Darryl snorts. "Oh, I thought it was something more than that. Rat's with my parents right now. She'll be back soon if you're worried. Just something that we had to do, I guess."

Zak lets out a small breath. "Oh. Okay. I don't know, I just thought it was kinda weird. That, uh, makes sense, though."

"Mhm," Darryl hums. "Now, eat your pasta, Skeppy."

"Okay, okay, okay," Zak mumbles, taking another forkful of pasta. "Don't have to tell me twice."

-

"Wait, are you going back to your room?"

Zak turns around. He had just put his plate in the sink, and Darryl's just about finished with his own pasta.

"Uh, yeah?" Zak gives him a confused grin. "Was hoping to figure out my new set-up, and stuff."

"Mhm," Darryl swallows his last bite of pasta. "Wait, before you go, I need to show you something. Give me a second."

Zak stands there awkwardly, checking his phone as Darryl puts his own plate right on top of Skeppy's.

"Alrighty, S'Geppy, follow me?"

Zak nods, and Darryl takes his hand.

 _Warm_ , is Zak's first thought.

His second thought is, _oh, I really like this._

Zak grips onto Darryl's hand as he slowly follows Darryl through the apartment. He passes by a few rooms that he knows: the bathroom and his own room, but he's not entirely sure what other rooms lie past those. He's sure that one of them is Darryl's room, but the others, he has no clue.

"Where are we going?"

"Impatient, huh?"

"Well, yeah, but I'd like to know."

Darryl giggles. "Okay, to your left is my room."

Zak looks over. "Okay..."

"And in front of us is the storage room. Feel free to put stuff in here if you need it. Don't mess with my stuff and I won't mess with yours. Mkay?"

Zak just nods.

"Alright, and this room?" Darryl gestures. "This is my office. Where I record stuff."

"Okay..." Zak is already planning up pranks that he can do on Bad while he's streaming, now that he knows where he records.

"And this? This is..." Darryl hums for a bit, then giggles. "You know, I'll just let you look yourself."

Zak raises a brow. "Oh?"

He looks at Darryl, and all he does is giggle more and cover his face with his hand, which is annoying because all it does is cover up the cute smile on his face every time he does that. Zak just rolls his eyes, turning towards the door that's left, eyeing it carefully.

Knowing Bad, there could be a prank waiting for him beyond that door. Nothing too crazy, also knowing Bad, but that's definitely a possibility. Another possibility is that Bad is hiding something there for Skeppy to surprise him, and knowing his big heart, he wouldn't put that past him either.

He opens the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger bc i love torturing my readers xoxo /hj


	7. Chapter 7

Blue.

That's all that Zak sees.

Zak peers around the room again, once, then twice.

"Do you, uh, do you like it?" 

Zak looks back at Darryl, who's standing at the doorway watching him with a patient, shy smile.

"I, uh, hoped you would? I spent that week and a half before you came getting it all together, um, the equipment - well some of it i was already creating but, well - and everything," he laughs nervously. "I... wanted to do something for you. Cause you're my best friend."

Zak takes in a deep breath.

Blue is the most beautiful color of them all. The way it reflects into his vision, especially the lighter shades of it, brings him so much inner joy. The way blue's always vibrant, no matter what form it comes in -- that's what makes it such a beautiful color in Zak's eyes.

And that's why Skeppy's skin is a blue diamond block.

And all Zak can see in the room is exactly that - shades of his favorite color.

The room is clearly supposed to be some studio of some sort, with some monitors already set up. The walls are lined with hanging shelves filled with all sorts of little trinkets and interior decorations - all of it working together beautifully.

When did Darryl get so damn good at interior decorating?

A glance to the side shows that there's a whole wall lined with Skeppy merch on shelves. Zak looks over them, moving his hand over a few of the shirts on display. He looks over at the other side of the room to find a beanie bag with a few other things he doesn't recognize.

"That's, uhm," Darryl starts, evidently reading his mind. "I found that and thought you might like it."

It's a little chill corner for Zak, with a pillow-sized BadBoyHalo plushie and a pillow-sized Skeppy plushie available there to hold? For decoration?

It's still cute, either way...

The desk is, well, evidently for his computer and for stream stuff, which he hasn't really started unpacking at all yet. He looks at it quizically, unsure, because Darryl, giving him all of this stuff? There's a set-up already from what he can see, and possibly even a whole computer but he can't really take a closer look because he sees--

Darryl's placed both of their Youtooz next to each other on the desk, to be seen every time he's recording or streaming. _It's adorable_ , Zak thinks as he picks up Bad's. Darryl really put a lot of effort into it, and it shows. Oh, it definitely shows. Zak places down the Youtooz back where it was and turns around.

Darryl is standing there, in the doorway still, fumbling with his fingers. He notices Zak finally looking at him again and he just smiles brightly at him.

"This is for me?" Zak asks slowly.

Darryl nods once. "Yep."

Zak doesn't think twice about it, just lunges forth, right at Darryl. He makes a small grunt of surprise, but after a few seconds, wraps his own arms around him as well. Zak buries his face into Darryl's shoulder, taking in everything. 

Darryl's his best friend.

He's here, with Darryl. The sweetest, kindest person he's ever known -- _damn, maybe I should stop pranking him ... nah_ \-- Darryl has always done everything he could to make Zak feel comfortable, to make him feel loved... and it's worked.

Oh my god, it's worked.

He doesn't feel alone anymore. Zak buries himself deeper into Darryl's embrace, taking in the feeling. He doesn't have to be alone anymore. He doesn't have to feel like he's trapped in a room by himself, left with his own thoughts. Not when Darryl's here. 

Zak's here, Darryl's here, and for once, it finally feels like --

"Welcome home, Zak," Darryl whispers softly. "Home, Zak. I hope you enjoyed it. I want you to feel welcome here."

Home.

Zak nods shakily, but all he can do is let out a small shaky sob.

_Home..._

With Darryl here?

_Absolutely._

-

"You were gone for a long time," Vurb grumbles.

"Sorry, lunch took longer than expected," Zak manages to make out as he stumbles around the room looking for his stuff. 

" _Just_ lunch?"

Zak pauses.

"Or was it something more?"

He doesn't really wanna share what Darryl had done for him. That was... well, Vurb can find out later. If Vurb finds out now, he's going to blab about it on Twitter probably, and none of their fans even know where he is right now anyway.

"Be _quiet_ , it was just a meal."

"Oh, _sure_."

"Anyway!" Zak says loudly before he has to think about what Vurb was about to imply. "I'm going to have to get Rocco back from my mom at some point."

"Yeah?" Vurb just goes with the conversation change. "You think Rat and Rocco are gonna get along?"

"Uh, well, I sure hope so," Zak responds absentmindedly while pulling his clothes out of a box. "Otherwise it'd be awkward, I think." 

"Awkward?"

"Well, I don't want our dogs to hate each other, Vurb, I think that's a reasonable desire."

"... Desire--"

"Oh, look at the time, wow, I need to go do something."

"You're such a rotten liar--"

"Bye, Vurb, gotta finish settling in--"

"So you _weren't_ fini--"

The line cuts off and all Zak can do is chuckle before getting to the rest of his boxes.

-

Zak puts down his phone.

He's basically put away most of his stuff and made arrangements to get Rocco to his new place. Zak's already mentioned he's taking a mini-break, at least from streaming, so he's sure he can stave off the reveal until later.

"Bad!" Zak yells out.

After a few seconds, "What?!"

"Do you wanna order out?"

After a few seconds, Zak can hear some shuffling then Darryl's suddenly at his door.

"You wanna order out?" Darryl looks at him blankly.

"Uh." Zak glances down at his phone. "Yeah. Was thinking about getting some Vietnamese takeout, if that's cool with you? I can get stuff for you too; my treat."

Darryl blinks a few times, just staring down at him with an unreadable look on his face.

"Darryl?"

He then smiles.

"Ah, yeah, sure, okay."

-

Sitting at the dinner table with _banh mi_ in front of him and Darryl right next to him... well, simply put?

It feels _right_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> introducing ♪sap-a-nap, sap-a-nap, sap-a-nap-a-napitus!♪

Darryl politely excuses himself from the table.

Zak watches him leave slowly and he frowns slightly. He had been a little more reserved than usual, and well, that's saying a _lot_ , since he's always been more reserved than Zak himself. It's a little sweet, how soft and innocent BadBoyHalo had always been. Sure, some of it was a show, played up personalities for the sake of videos, but he's always been a little quiet, a little demure, a little--

Okay, now it just sounds like he's characterizing him as a girl.

Zak's _point_ , is that Darryl is acting a little off.

And as his self-declared best friend, he can't just let that slide, ya know. Despite all the pranks and jokes and annoyances, he really does care about Bad deeply. 

Zak finishes up his sandwich and tosses away the sandwich paper, getting up and stretching.

After a long moment, he decides to bother Darryl anyway.

-

"Yo, Darryl!" Zak calls out, knocking on the door with his knuckles. "... You there?"

After a long moment, he gets a response - "... Come in!"

Zak twists the door handle.

He doesn't really know what to expect - during the mini-tour yesterday, Darryl hadn't really shown him his room, just the door. Not like he _cared_ what the room looked like, but Zak can't help the growing curiosity within him.

When he opens the door, he's not sure how to feel. The room doesn't look too weird. A few hanging pictures, a desk, and a bed. It's messy, but Zak isn't going to comment on that when he never even makes his bed in the first place. In fact, it's a bit cleaner than Zak's own room despite him living there for only a couple of days, but no one needs to hear him confess to _that._

Darryl's just sitting at his bed, on his phone.

"Something wrong, 'Geppy?" He tilts his head, putting down his phone. "Is something the matter?" He asks, concerned as he always is.

Zak lets out a small laugh. "No, no, nothing, I just wanted to..." He pauses for a moment, thinking. "Say hi? See the room? I don't know."

"You don't know?" Darryl raises a brow.

Zak presses his lips together.

"We're best friends, right?"

The question makes Darryl blink, staring at Zak with barely-concealed shock all over his features. He just stares, not giving any sort of response. Zak notices that suddenly he seems just a touch tenser, a touch more fidgety than before.

"What?" Darryl says dumbly. "... What do you mean?"

"We're best friends," Zak repeats, more firm, more confident as a statement. "We're best friends and we tell each other things and we don't keep big secrets, yeah?"

Darryl just frowns, shifting back. "... Right..."

"Okay!" Zak says, a bit louder and making Darryl flinch in surprise. "So, then!" He exclaims as he flops onto the bed next to his friend, completely surprising him as he completely throws all social norms out the nearby window. "Tell me what's wrong."

"What do you _mean_ , what's wrong?" Darryl laughs, but Zak narrows his eyes because it's the exact laugh that he does when he's trying to not give away something, when he's trying to get away with a prank, or when he's desperately trying to keep something a secret from him. 

" _Something,_ " Zak pokes him. "Is wrong. And you needa spill it, now. No hiding from me, mister."

Darryl huffs. "I'm not hiding anything."

Zak pouts, crossing his arms. "And I'm _not_ Skeppy."

His friend just frowns.

"Come on, Bad," Zak grumbles. "You care about me, right? And if I was sad and mopey, you'd want me to tell you what's wrong, right? This isn’t any different."

Darryl sputters. "That implies that I'm being sad and mopey, but that's not even remotely---"

Zak glares at him.

Darryl just stays silent.

"... Okay," he lets out a sigh, giving in. " _Maybe_ I was being sad and mopey, but--- nothing's _wrong_ , wrong."

"I highly doubt that."

"It's nothing, really," he exclaims, waving his hands in the air. "I just... was feeling a bit weird. Nothing you did. Nothing you can really do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Yes."

"Would you swear on the sun, the moon, the stars, the photosynthesis?"

Darryl struggles to hold back a grin. "Oh, shut up, Skeppy."

Zak just lets out a laugh. "Well, would you?"

His friend just looks at him in silence for a moment.

"You know what I've told you, right? Before, about my... mental health?" Darryl grips onto his shirt, looking at it intensely. "About... therapy, and..." He clamps his mouth shut, refusing to say another word.

Zak pauses.

Darryl's told him about the year or two he spent in therapy, about his own mental health issues. About how sometimes, the darkness creeps up and consumes him whole without him being able to stop it. About how it's gotten better over the years and with the help of therapy's lessons. But how the darkness has always been there, threatening to consume him whole.

"Is it..." Zak mumbles softly. "Is it one of those days?"

Darryl doesn't say another word but just nods slowly.

"I see." Zak nods, pulling him into an embrace. "I'm here for you, alright? After all, the darkness can't hurt you when I'm here."

Darryl lets out a soft noise of confusion.

Zak hasn't even said the joke and yet his laughter is bubbling up already as his body shakes with laughter.

"I'm a diamond man, remember?" Zak teases softly. "No darkness can quell my brightness."

Darryl snorts. "You are pretty bright."

Zak's heart skips a beat in his chest, but he doesn’t want to dwell on it, dwell on what that possibly means right now.

"You are my sunshine, after all," Darryl says under his breath.

Zak hums as Darryl leans into his embrace, resting his head on his shoulder. Softly, he asks, "Do I make you happy when skies are grey?"

"Silly muffin," Darryl mumbles into his shoulder, the low voice sending a shiver down his spine. "You make me happy even when skies _aren't_ grey."

-

"Jesus fucking christ." Sapnap's voice comes out loud and clear as soon as he joins the call. "What do you want?

Zak scowls. "So rude. I’m starting to regret those hours that I wasted driving to meet up with you."

“Fat chance,” he scoffs. “Anyway, you pinged me - no, spam pinged me, so this better be important, Skeppy, or I’m ending the call.”

“It’s very important, believe me,” he proclaims, pretending that he doesn’t hear his friend mutter, _that makes me believe you even less_ , and he continues with, “I just wanted to talk with you; is that such a crime?”

“Yes, actually.”

“C’mon---”

“You think I’m stupid? You obviously wouldn’t have forced me online if you didn’t want to talk about something important. You’re an idiot but not _that_ much of an idiot, and I know when you want something. So spit it out, already.”

Zak huffs. “When did I become so easy to read?”

Sapnap just laughs. “You’re just an open book.”

“Anyway,” he cuts off his friend loudly. “I wanted to ask you something. For advice? Kind of?”

“Advice, kind of?” Sapnap's voice raises in interest. “What kind of advice can I offer you? And are you sure I’m the right person to ask?”

“Well...” Zak drags out. 

“I’m not sure whether to be offended that you don’t like my advice, or relieved that you realize what you’re saying and that asking me for advice isn’t wise in the first place."

Zak scoffs. “Listen, I just... I don’t know how I’d feel about asking Dream. And I don’t know where else to turn, so---”

“Is this about Bad?”

Zak goes quiet.

“Ah, so it is.” Sapnap hums for a moment. “Do you like him? Are you asking for my blessing?”

Zak’s brain starts overheating.

“No, no, no, _no_ , what are you saying?” Zak stumbles over his words. “What the -- what the _fuck_ , Sapnap, I’m not--- well, _yes,_ it’s about Bad, but I’m not asking about --- I’m _straight!_ Where did you even get that idea from?”

“Woah, woah, woah, woah,” Sapnap speaks over him. “Calm, Skeppy. Was just a joke. Didn’t think you’d lose your head over it.”

Zak bites his lip. “Just shut up.”

“So, what about Bad, then, if not about feelings?”

Zak frowns.

“Skeppy?”

“You understand him, right?”

“Uh... yes?”

Zak huffs, rubbing at his eyes. “I just...” He stares at the desk below him. “I’m not sure how to put it into words.”

“Put what into words?”

Zak frowns. “That’s the problem.”

A beat passes.

“You have a problem with Bad that you can’t put into words.”

“What?” Zak grumbles. “I don’t have a problem _with_ Bad.”

“So it’s Bad-adjacent.”

“I just... I’m worried about him, I guess.” Zak attempts. “Like... worried? No, not worried -- _concerned?_ Like I feel like sometimes I go too far or sometimes the things that I do aren’t enough, or that, or that maybe I’m not enough, or--”

“Skeppy.”

“Am I enough?”

Sapnap stays silent.

“I’m not... depressed, or anything. But sometimes...”

“Skeppy, you---” Sapnap lets out a ragged sigh. “Bad cares deeply about you. I know that you do, too. Even when you’re not around, Bad sings praises about you. And even when he’s angry at you, he still cares about you a lot. And I’m pretty close with Bad, so trust me when I say that if you-- if you feel like you’re doing something wrong, Bad isn’t the kind of person to just let it go. He can stand up for himself. He can speak his mind. And he values you as a person enough to let you know if anything’s actually wrong.”

Zak shakes his head. “... Yeah. I think I’m overthinking it.”

“But hey, Bad’s your best friend. If something’s wrong, just ask him about it? I think your bond is strong enough to handle any sort of misunderstanding.”

“When the hell did you become so good at counseling?”

Sapnap laughs. “I’m not a fucking dumbass, Skeppy. At least I can spell.”

“ _Fuck_ you, Sapnap,” Zak yells, laughing despite himself. “Go to hell!”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> havent updated in a while so o_O a little bit of a filler-ish chapter. short but. meh. LOL.

Zak wakes up with an ache in his heart.

All he can remember is soft touches upon his skin, those touches that he aches for, so badly, that all of him just reaches out, for more, for more, though he doesn’t know what that more is.

... Is it possible to wish for something you never had? Is it possible to yearn for something unknown, for something that is just out of your grasp, just outside of your own perceptions? If only you could reach out and touch it, then you’d know exactly what it is that you desire so badly, deep at your core, but you’re stuck in an endless loop of uncertainty and perplexion that only breeds more headaches and questions.

All Zak can remember is another person’s body heat and how much he craves to be that close with another person again, after all those long nights spent alone in a dark, empty LA apartment.

(He will never admit it, but some of those nights were restless, some of those nights were filled with choked sobs that came out of nowhere with no explanation, some of those nights were spent doing anything trying to desperately fill the void growing within him.)

-

Zak learns that Darryl is an early bird when he spends every morning nagging at Zak to wake up -- not that it takes much of it, when the apartment fills up with the smell of sizzling oil and soft humming.

So Zak learns to get up early.

-

Over pancakes, the question gets asked.

“So, are we revealing this?” Darryl asks vaguely.

“This?” Zak questions with a full mouth of pancakes, obviously not caring about the inevitable -- “Manners, Skeppy!” that comes out of Darryl almost immediately.

Zak just gets an eye-roll after that.

“No, you silly muffin, are we revealing that you’re here, with me, I mean.”

 _You’re here, with me_ , the words echo.

Zak brushes the thought away and thinks about it. They always hyped up their meeting, always talked about it, and he’s sure their fans would be ecstatic. And well, he’s sure a few people have asked and speculated, so...

“I don’t see why not?” Zak peers around quickly, before his gaze drops back upon his friend. “How would you feel about a vlog? Like an apartment reveal, but we reveal that you’re here, that we’ve met up, and this is actually your apartment?”

“Really, ‘Geppy, you’re going to troll your viewers with an apartment reveal video?” 

Zak snickers. “Come on, it’d be funny. Imagine, I finish showing my room, the kitchen, the streaming room, then, boom! You come out of your room like, Skeppy, stop being so loud, and we just cut right there.”

Darryl struggles to hold back the grin that’s rapidly growing on his face. “You’re so silly.”

“ _You’re_ so silly.” _You’re so---_

“That doesn’t even make any sense.” Darryl moves to pick up his plate.

Zak brushes it off. “I’ll do a vlog. I’m sure they know I’m settling in right now. You know they’re going to have so much fun with the idea of us here. Together.”

Putting his plate in the sink, Darryl nonchalantly mumbles, “Together?”

Together. The three-syllable word, said so softly from those lips, said like that, just like that --- it sends a shiver down Zak’s spine. It’s so simple, yet so different, so foreign, yet so familiar, that the contrasting feelings make his head spin just a bit.

Zak’s gaze follows Darryl. WIth his back turned, Zak has no shame staring intently at his best friend -- which is implying that he usually does, which he doesn’t, but he just openly stares at his back, trying to take in his weird feeling that settles over them.

Without Minecraft playing in the background to distract him, Zak feels as if he’s grounded in the present, grounded in this moment with his friend with nothing to draw his attention away. Instead, they live in the moment with nothing else in the way. Just the two of them. 

_... Together._

“That a problem?” Zak asks after what feels like hours.

“No,” Darryl lets out a breathy laugh as he rinses and scrubs at his plate. “No,” he repeats. “Not at all. Not at all...”

-

Skeppy  
@skeppyextra

new place is great, might do an apartment tour bc why not

❤ 283.1K 1:06 PM • December 3, 20XX

4.6K people are talking about this

Vurb  
@JustVurb

replying to  @skeppyextra

vlog idea: 10 minutes of you making out with badboyhalo

❤ 33.1K 1:11 PM • December 3, 20XX

194 people are talking about this

-

> vurb

> vurb

> vurb

> vurb

> vurb

> vurb

> vurb

> omg

> what the fuck

> on twitter what the fuck was tht

> uh

> Its funny

> look at twitter again

> ur insufferable

> is this is a prank

> no seriously go look dude

> ... if this is a prank im blocking u

> k

-

BadBoyHalo  
@SaintsofGames

replying to  @skeppyextra, @JustVurb

oh my goodness you muffinhead

❤ 20.1K 1:12 PM • December 3, 20XX

239 people are talking about this

Vurb  
@JustVurb

replying to  @skeppyextra, @SaintsofGames

am i wrong though

❤ 13.1K 1:12 PM • December 3, 20XX

49 people are talking about this

BadBoyHalo  
@SaintsofGames

replying to  @skeppyextra, @JustVurb

that’s besides the point, vurb D:

❤ 9.1K 1:14 PM • December 3, 20XX

421 people are talking about this

-

> vurb

> yeah?

> you’re going to be the death of me one day

> LOL you love me

> no

> ah i guess you only love bad

> dudee

> what the fukc

> :)

> i hate u

-

Zak groans, rubbing his face with his hands after he puts his phone down.

Vurb’s a great friend. Really. He’s just also an annoying, insufferable asshole sometimes despite that. And it’s not like it isn’t funny, because it is. If he was uncomfortable with the comments, he’d put his foot down. Vurb knows that.

But Zak hasn’t said a thing to him.

It’s not like he has a problem with people assuming he’s gay for BadBoyHalo. He doesn’t. He sometimes even makes jokes himself about it. That’s it -- just jokes. It’s not that deep, not that serious, just for fun. Zak knows that.

Yet somehow sometimes it rubs him the wrong way, but only just enough for him to brush it off. This temporary feeling washes over him for a second and leaves before he can identify it, almost as if he was reaching out to grab at an illusion made of smoke.

Zak shakes his head.

For the most part, he just chooses to ignore it. It’s not a big deal, right? This feeling that erupts inside of him and almost makes him delirious, that fades so quickly... it can’t mean anything important.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its been a long wait but uh. update! yes. :)

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”

“Ugh, five more minutes, Mom.”

A mumble. “Sleepyhead, more like muffinhead... C’mon Skeppy, early breakfast on Saturdays because of stream.. or no breakfast for you!”

A grumble.

“Fine. Only for your hashbrowns though.”

“... Just my hashbrowns?”

“Okay, maybe 90% your hashbrowns and 10% you... don’t give me that face. Okay. Okay, I’m sorry, I’ll get up, please don’t give me those eyes, I--- Bad. Bad, please, don’t pout at me. Bad, come back, I’m getting up -- oh my _god_ \---”

-

Zak winces, rubbing at his forehead. “That’s definitely going to bruise,” he whines, lifting up his spoon with the least amount of energy he can muster. The milk spills out of the spoon as it wobbles, and he has to put down the spoon before he makes a mess which takes even more energy to clean up (which he does not have to spare).

A hum comes out of the man beside him, light-hearted in nature yet somehow also dismissive in the same breath. “And it’s not going to be my fault.”

“What do you mean it’s not your fault?” Zak retorts back, despite knowing that it is, actually, his own fault that he had fallen out of his bed trying to get Bad to come back and hit his head on the edge of his bedframe.

Darryl rolls his eyes. “Just eat your food.”

Zak sticks out his tongue in response.

“What’re your plans for today?” Darryl asks, pointedly ignoring Zak.

“Why?”

“Don’t be so defensive; I was just going to see if you wanted to be in today’s stream.” Darryl shrugs. “But if you’re busy, that’s fine.”

“Me? Busy? No, no way,” Zak spills out.

 _This could be a perfect time to troll,_ he starts to think.

 _Could also just be a great time to spend time with one of your bestest friends_ , his brain adds.

“What were you gonna do? I was just planning on chilling, but I can always do that with you.” _I mean, I’m always chill with you. And it’s always a good time_ , his brain adds for no reason. “Besides, it’s not like I have anything better to do.” _Without you, anyway._

“It’s just my Saturday stream. I have a small event planned on Munchy, but that’s not much. After that, I might spend time on the Dream SMP. I'm not really sure. If you wanted to get on and spend my stream with me, I’d be cool with that.”

“Sure, why not? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to ruin anything.”

-

Things, in fact, do get ruined.

“Skeppy!?” Bad’s growl comes through full force through the headphones. “Slash, slash, undo, right now, or I’m banning you forever!”

Skeppy just laughs, moving his Minecraft avatar to run away from Bad in-game. “No, you won’t!”

Bad lets out a small yell of frustration, to which he just giggles again.

The event was supposed to take place in a nice and new pristine build, made even fancier with the use of quartz and quartz pillar blocks. Now, however, it’s almost unrecognizable as Skeppy whips around to examine his own handiwork of the past couple of hours. Now, all that’s left is --

“S’Geppy!” Bad yells again, and Zak almost feels bad, but then -- “Get rid of this lava and put everything back, please,” he says, turning to the third stage of grief (bargaining), and Skeppy is back to laughing maniacally at the attempts at compromise.

“Okay, okay, fine,” he concedes, typing in the command and soon, the area looks almost perfect. Spawn is no longer covered in lava, players are no longer immediately respawning and dying within seconds, the platform is back although some players are still suffocating in the newly replaced platform, and so far, everything looks back to normal, except--

“Why are there still _holes_ in the quartz floor? And water? And patches of obsidian?” And Bad lets out another scream of frustration. “Skeppy!”

“I’m all out of slash-slash-undos,” Skeppy says nonchalantly, trying his best to keep cool and not bust into another fit of laughter. He had forgotten that he had also manually placed down water buckets on top of the lava as a half-hearted and not-actually-helpful attempt at getting rid of the lava the first time, but honestly, had he _really_ forgotten that?

(No, but he’ll take credit for it anyway.)

“Fix it right now, or I’m banning you from the server. No, all my streams! _Forever!”_ Bad adds.

“You won’t,” he states with confidence.

“I will!”

“No,” he repeats, slowly this time, to get the message across. “You. Won’t.”

Bad grumbles for a moment, and Skeppy’s just waiting for his inevitable response.

“No,” he admits. “I won’t ban you. But I’ll be mad at you! Not forever, but... a while.”

“Would you though?” Skeppy pouts, though he knows that no one can actually see him. Zak lives with the man now. He knows that Darryl can’t be angry with him forever.

“Just fix it,” Bad huffs.

Some server moderator that Skeppy doesn’t know is trying their best to manually remove the obsidian and water as they speak, so he just decides to concede, moving to type the necessary commands to replace nearby objects.

“Aw,” Bad says after a pause, cooing. “Chat says that Skeppy is becoming soft.”

Skeppy lets out a noise of disbelief. “What? How _dare_ they. I am not soft.”

“Yes, you are,” Bad says with a hint of humor in his tone. “You’re becoming soft! Soft Skeppy, I can hold him in my arms and he feels like a cuddly bear because of how soft he is, aw--”

Zak’s face flushes deeply. Just the thought of Darryl wrapping his arms around him like the way he had done the other day, but this time with more intent, with the intention of cuddling, not just a hug... just the _thought_ of it--

“I am not soft!” Skeppy yells, cutting off his own thoughts over the sound of Bad's giggling at his own words. “Get on Hypixel now, we’re playing Bedwars, 1v1, just to prove how not-soft I am.”

“Skeppy--” Bad interrupts himself with a burst of laughter. “You don’t, you don’t have, come on--”

Skeppy’s already booted up Hypixel.

“I’m not soft. Get on.”

Bad just busts up into laughter again.

 _Damn bastard_ , Zak thinks to himself, scowling slightly. _Makes fun of me for so many things. Being shorter than him, apparently just being short in general, and now for his chat bullying me for being “soft” for some reason._

The message pops up: _Friend > BadBoyHalo joined. _

Zak lets out a small sigh. _But, still. I love him._ He smiles softly as he adds him to the party. _And I love it when he laughs. And I love him, despite him making fun of me. And he’s still here, despite my trolling. Despite everything. He’s given me a home. He’s home. He’s..._

“There,” Skeppy says loudly, typing furiously. “Invited you to a party. Private game, 1v1, it’s on!”

“Alright, get ready to lose, ‘Geppy!” Bad exclaims. “Because I’m a Bedwars master, and you’re just a soft boy!”

“Oh, you _didn’t_.”

“Oh, I _did._ ”

“You are so getting crushed,” Skeppy says, entering the waiting room lobby. Moving his avatar to punch BadBoyHalo, he continues, “Watch how soft I am, now!”

-

Many rounds of Bedwars later, Zak sits back in his chair. After leaving the Teamspeak and the stream, they had continued a few more rounds through their left-over adrenaline, taking in the lessened pressure of no chat and no stream holding them back. They can say whatever they want to, and Bad’s threat of “If you lose this game for us right now, I’m going to smother you in your sleep tonight with your own pillow,” while ignored, was definitely not unheard.

(Zak had just smoothly swooped in and broken a bed, and that conversation was quickly dropped, though not from memory.)

It’s lucky that Darryl had said that after the stream had ended, since they had agreed that they did want to wait for a video to possibly reveal that Skeppy was now living with BadBoyHalo. While Skeppy was rather impatient at times, he’s focusing hard on holding back to plan an official statement rather than an off-hand statement, and on Bad’s _stream_ , nonetheless.

Zak sinks further into the chair.

Darryl had agreed, and was one of the people to tell him to hold back. This really shouldn’t be bothering Zak _quite_ so much, but a part of him wonders if he’s ashamed, or embarrassed, or something, because why else would he say something like that?

He is in Darryl’s personal space now. And if anything, he knows that BadBoyHalo liked to have his own space, with his own privacy. Now that he’s here, he almost feels like he’s intruding. Like he’s taking up space and breathing air that doesn’t _really_ belong to him. Sure, Darryl had offered, but maybe that was a mistake in hindsight. Maybe, just maybe, Darryl doesn’t even _like_ \--

Zak snaps out of his daze when he hears some clanging coming from the kitchen. Standing up, head still a bit fuzzy, he gets up and walks out. Not to his surprise, he finds Darryl there, putting pots and pans back where they belong in the cabinet.

It seems so routine, so boring, so monotonous, but for some reason, Darryl's humming softly as if he's actually enjoying this.

"Mmmm... Bad?" Zak mumbles tiredly. "What's going on?"

Darryl looks up, instantly brightening up when his gaze drops upon Zak's face.

"Skeppy! I'm making dinner, ya muffinhead." He waves around a pan. "Anything you want? I'll get it for you!"

Zak swallows once.

"... _Anything?"_ He echoes without thinking about it.

The air stills around them.

Darryl just gives Zak that look, that blank look that Zak doesn't know how to interpret, how to decipher. All he knows that is that Darryl's gaze is focused on him, and though he classifies himself as somewhere between introvert and extrovert, not usually caring much about people's attention all on him, getting energy out of both isolation and company, somehow this is...

Different.

But it's a _good_ different.

"Yeah, I was wondering if there's anything that I could make for you," Darryl starts to say slowly. "If I can make it with the ingredients I have here, I can make something you like for dinner tonight?"

Zak nods.

They drop the subject.

Just like they always do.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading<3 i love feedback, kudos, comments, bookmarks, everything<3
> 
> #skephalo supremacy  
> want to talk to me? twitter: @blueboyhalo


End file.
